Moving Forward
by EmeraldWings1992
Summary: Apollo decides it's time to move forward in his and Ema's relationship, and with a little help from his paternal grandfather, he's able to do just that. Established ApolloxEma. Apollo already knows his family. ONE-SHOT


**A/N** : Hey guys! This is just a quick oneshot. I've been writing quite a bit of Layton fiction, and decided to take a small break to write this before a launch into book three of the _Flora Reinhold_ series (It's already outlined, no worries!)

This is also an effort to set up the fiction I plan on writing once I finish the trilogy.

Note: _Spirit_ _of Justice_ never happened in this fic. This is part of an established universe I have going on this account. Also, please no spoilers for _SoJ_ , not just for my sake, but also those who read the reviews.

Warning: Established ApolloxEma and Apollo knowing his family (including his biological father, who is alive and my OC).

Alright, I think that's it! FORWARD!

…

Moving Forward

Apollo unlocked the door to his small studio apartment, stepping inside with a sigh. It was the first time he'd seen the place since last week, and frankly… it was kind of small and depressing.

Last Thursday, he and Trucy had spent dinner at his parents' house, before falling asleep there. After a tough trial Friday morning, which he won, Ema had taken him out for a day of fun to make celebrate, and he wound up sleeping at her nice apartment… Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.

It was now Monday morning. He knew he had to get ready for work, but he decided to take him time.

He might hear it from Athena and Trucy when he got there about being late, but he knew Mr. Wright wouldn't fire him.

He glanced around his apartment again before sighing, walking over to his dresser.

…

Ema stepped out of the shower, using a towel to dry her long hair.

"Your turn, Apollo!" she called, not bothering to cover herself as she stepped into the bedroom. It's not like her boyfriend of a year and a half hadn't seen her naked before.

Her boyfriend, however, didn't appear to be anywhere in sight. She frowned, planting her hands on her hips, when noticing a piece of paper laying on her pillow. Sighing, she picked it up.

 _Ema._

 _Sorry to run like this, but I need to get ready for work myself. I'll probably be late, but oh well._

 _I can't wait to see you later today. Lunch at Eldoon's, my treat!_

 _I love you,_

 _Apollo._

"Of course…" she sighed, putting the paper back down on her nightstand. She understood. After all, this isn't the first time one of them had to run out on the other in the morning.

But…

It still sucked.

…

Both Apollo and Ema made it to lunch at the appointed time, where Mr. Guy Eldoon set them up with his special.

"I missed you this morning," Ema suddenly admitted. Apollo looked up, before smiling weakly.

"I missed you too. I really wish I could have joined you in the shower," he said. Ema giggled at him, kissing his cheek.

"Then we _both_ would have been late."

"So?"

"So, not all of us have job security, Justice!" she replied, poking her boyfriend in the nose. He blinked, scrunching up that facial feature and making Ema laugh more.

"True…" he finally sighed, nuzzling her neck for a moment before returning to his noodles. Ema smiled, watching him.

Apollo just seemed so… thoughtful.

"What's up?" Ema asked. Apollo jumped.

"Huh?"

"What are you thinking about?" Ema pressed with a smile.

"Just… stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Heh. You are so nosey; you know that?"

"Hey!" _ka-tonk_

"Wha-!? Where'd you even get that Snackoo?" Apollo demanded, rubbing the chocolate off his forehead.

"Nowhere," Ema replied, adjusting something in her bag. Apollo could swear heard the crinkling of a snack bag. "I know you have something on your mind. What's wrong?" Ema asked.

"'Wrong?'" Apollo echoed in confusion, before shaking his head. "Nothing's wrong, Ema. I just have a few things on my mind," he answered seriously. Ema sighed, realizing it was no use.

"Alright, Apollo," she said, kissing his forehead before glancing at her watch. "Is that the time!? Oh man, I have to get back to work!" she said, slurping down the rest of her noodles, kissing Apollo's cheek, and rushing off.

 _Attractive…_ Apollo thought teasingly about the slurping. He leisurely finished his lunch, paid for both of their bowls, and began his bike ride back to the office.

Just then, his cell began to ring.

"Apollo Justice, Attorney at Law speaking. How can I help you?" he asked.

" _Hi sweetie._ "

"Oh, Mom!" he said, stopping his bike and resting on one leg. "What's up?"

" _Your father and I were hoping you'd come over for dinner tonight,_ " Thalassa said on the other end of the line.

"Really? That'd be the second time in less than a week," Apollo mused. "Don't tell me you and Dad are getting tired of each other," he added teasingly. Thalassa laughed on the other end of the line.

" _Nothing of the sort, Sweetheart. It's just… we need to talk to you, without your sister,"_ Thalassa said, surprising Apollo even more.

"O… kay. I'll be there. What time?" he asked.

" _Six. We'll see you then. Love you, sweetie!"_

"I love you too, Mom," Apollo replied before hanging up the phone and continuing his bike ride to the office, confused.

…

"Hey Mom… hey Dad… can I ask for your advice on something?" Apollo said. He was seated at the table, across from the two older adults, dinner in front of him. Neither had said anything important in the last hour, so he decided to take this chance to ask about something that was on his mind.

"Sure, kiddo. What's up?" Zeus Justice, Apollo's father, asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Well, Ema and I've been together for a bit now… and, well… I thought maybe it was time to move forward in our relationship…" Apollo explained. Thalassa and Zeus looked at each other with matching grins.

"What exactly did you have in mind for 'moving forward'?" Thalassa asked.

"I want to ask her to move in with me," Apollo blurted out. Zeus brushed his blond bangs out of his dark eyes thoughtfully.

"Hm… I don't know, Apollo… your apartment is kind of small…" he said, looking away. Thalassa thoughtfully placed a hand in front of her mouth.

"He's right, you know…"

"I…" Apollo hesitated before sighing. "You're right. Besides, she has that home lab of hers, which… wouldn't exactly fit in my studio apartment…" Apollo sighed again.

"Well, what if you moved into a bigger place with a few bedrooms?" Zeus asked innocently. Apollo snorted.

"Like I can afford that! Most of my cases wind up being pro bono…" he admitted. Thalassa suddenly looked up and over at Zeus.

"Oh, I know! We can help him get a new place," she said innocently.

"That's a great idea!" Zeus replied.

"Oh, guys, no, don't worry about it!" Apollo protested.

"After all," Zeus said as though Apollo hadn't inturrupted, pulling out a key. "It's not like it'll cost us anything."

"Wait… what?" Apollo asked, confused. "What's that key?"

"This key," Zeus started, becoming serious, "is the key to the house your grandfather owned, where I grew up."

"Wait, what? You still have it? I thought… since he passed…" Apollo trailed off. Once his father had reentered his life, Apollo took it upon himself to learn as much as he could about his family. He already knew about the Gramarye side, so he looked into the Justice side.

Chron Justice, his grandfather, had been a very successful Prosecutor in his day, though he was forced to resign after being diagnosed with stage three brain cancer. Although Apollo couldn't remember him, Zeus said he died about a month after Apollo was born.

"Dad left the house for me in his will, but with mine and your mother's constant moving, I immediately transferred it into my will for you. Although I'm not dead, it's still yours," Zeus explained, pushing the key over. "And, the best part is, it's already fully paid off."

"But… what about you and mom?" Apollo asked, looking between the two. "Why don't you two move in there?"

"It's too big for us," Thalassa admitted. "After all, it has four bedrooms, and we don't plan on having any more kids," she laughed.

"Plus, one of those rooms are set up as a study for a lawyer. Neither of us are lawyers," Zeus added with a grin. Apollo looked between the two, before looking at the key, thinking it over.

 _Ema can set up her lab in one of the rooms, I'll actually have an office, we'll take one of the other rooms, and if we have kids—_

He blushed at his runaway thoughts, reigning them back in, before smiling at his parents.

"Alright. Thanks, Mom, Dad," Apollo said, taking the key.

…

Before asking Ema to move in with him, Apollo decided to check out the house. He was both surprised and delighted to find that the two story, white, modern house was situated on the beach. One of the walls in the living room was actually a large window, looking out over the water. Looking around more, Apollo noticed that most of the leather furniture still resided in the house, covered with dust protectors, and the rooms upstairs were set up almost perfectly.

Using the keys Zeus gave him, Apollo entered his grandfather's locked study last. One wall was just like that in the living room: a window overlooking the water. Two more of the walls were covered in bookshelves: one was full of outdated law books that Apollo knew he'd have to get updated, the other full of copies his grandfather's cases. A large, wooden desk stood in front of the shelf that housed the law books, with a nice leather computer seat situated behind it.

On the desk, stood the oldest computer Apollo had ever seen. With a happy sigh, he sat in the seat, before realizing something.

"I have to get my license and a car now…" he groaned, knowing he was now too far from the office to bike.

…

A few months later saw Apollo with a driver's license and a new, dark red car. It was in this car that he picked Ema up for a dinner date, surprising her.

"Wow, Apollo. Nice car," Ema said, sliding into the passenger side. Apollo smiled.

"Thanks," he replied, easily sliding into traffic.

"So, what's with the sudden dinner date? It was kind of short notice," Ema asked. Apollo smiled slightly, keeping his eyes on the road.

Last night, he had finished moving his stuff into his grandfather's house – his new house, and this morning, he had decided to bring her to the house.

Ema had no idea Apollo had moved. When she asked about his sudden decision to start driving, he simply said he was tired of getting rained on when the weather was less then desirable.

"I just wanted to treat you. Is that alright?" the red-clad man asked, glancing at his girlfriend. Ema shook her head.

"Scientifically speaking, a man doesn't do something like this unless he has something to tell his girlfriend," Ema said, before suddenly gasping. "You're not cheating on me, are you!?"

"WHAT!?" Apollo gasped, swerving slightly in shock as he recoiled from the woman. "No! Of course not!" he protested. Ema laughed hard at his reaction.

"Joking, joking!" she puffed through laughter. Apollo huffed at that.

 _Maybe I shouldn't have her move in…_ he thought to himself as he turned down a small road leading to the house.

"Apollo?" Ema asked.

"Hm?"

"You just turned down a driveway."

"I know."

"But—"

"Ema, trust me," Apollo said with a smile, slowing down until he came to a smooth stop in front of his house. Ema let out a whistle, looking up at it.

"Friend of yours?"

"Nope," Apollo said with a grin, getting out and going around, opening her door. She stepped out, taking his hand, and allowed him to lead her to the door. On the mailbox, in clear letters, read 'Justice,' which Apollo checked before unlocking the door.

"Huh?" Ema muttered, letting herself be lead in. Apollo smiled at her confusion, surprised her analytical mind hadn't pieced it together yet (even if his name had been there since his grandfather first bought the house).

The pictures in the living room was the final clue Ema needed. There was a mixture of old pictures, like his grandparents' wedding and Zeus as a child, to somewhat newer ones, like his parents' wedding and baby pictures of himself (he really needed to take those down), to even newer ones, like a small family portrait of himself, his parents, Trucy, and Mr. Wright, and one of himself and Ema on their second date at the Street Fair on Gourdy Ave.

"Apollo… do you live here?" Ema asked. Apollo grinned.

"Yeah. I just moved in, actually," he admitted.

"Which explains the sudden need to drive," Ema concluded, before looking at me. "But how were you able to afford this?"

"It's already paid off," Apollo admitted, walking over to a picture of his grandparents. "My grandfather – Dad's dad – was a pretty successful Prosecutor. He left the house for Dad, who gave it to me," he explained.

"Wow…" Ema breathed. Apollo smiled at her before leading her into the dining room, where dinner – Chinese take-out – was already waiting. Ema laughed at that, taking a seat.

"Look at you, moving up in the world," she said. Apollo laughed at that.

"Seriously," he replied, looking at her. "Though… it'll probably get a little lonely out here… living on my own…" he sighed. Ema smiled at her food.

"Get a dog."

"I don't want a dog," Apollo protested.

"Then don't complain. I tried to help you," Ema replied, making the man laugh.

"No, seriously, Ema. I… I think I might want human company," Apollo said. Ema looked up to make a quip about inviting Trucy to move in, before noticing the serious look on his face. "We've been together for about a year and a half now, and we've known each other much longer. I was… actually hoping you'd move in with me," he said. Ema stared at him for a few minutes, not answering. Apollo shifted in his seat.

"I mean, unless, of course, you don't—" he was suddenly cut off by Ema leaning forward and kissing him. Surprised at first, Apollo quickly melted into his kiss.

Finally, Ema pulled back. "Of course, Apollo," she said warmly.

…

Apollo paced around the men's bathroom of the really nice restaurant, staring nervously at the ring in his hand. It had been about six months since Ema had moved in with him, and things were going well.

So well, in fact, that Apollo decided to propose.

 _But what if it's too early? Should I wait longer? Scientifically speaking, you don't really know someone completely until you've lived with them for three yea—_

Apollo cut off that thought, freezing mid step as he realized that he sounded exactly like Ema. He laughed at himself, the nerves dispelling.

 _If my_ thoughts _sound like her, then I think we're ready…_ he thought as he left the restroom and walked back over to the table. Ema looked up from where she had been studying something, and Apollo smiled, feeling a little hot under the collar. Ema, rather than her usual white lab coat, was wearing a fancy, slinky blue dress that was sleeveless.

The bare skin was slowly driving Apollo wild.

"You okay, Apollo? You were in there so long, I nearly put out an APB on you," Ema teased, leaning forward on the table on her arms. Apollo laughed at that.

"I'm okay, Ema. I just… wanted to ask you something…" he said, taking a deep breath.

"Oh?" Ema asked, realizing Apollo still hadn't sat down. Instead, the man came over to her side of the table.

"Ema Skye, I love you. And, well, I want to move forward in our relationship," Apollo said, before sinking to one knee. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that… well… will you marry me, Ema?"

The whole restaurant fell silent, watching the young couple, waiting for Ema's reply. Both seemed to notice they were the center of attention, for Ema hid her face slightly, and Apollo's ears began to match his crimson tie.

Finally, Ema took a deep breath, making an effort to ignore everyone else, and smiled at Apollo.

"Yes."

…

 **A/N:** And here it is! Sorry if this seems rushed.

Anyone see what I did with Zeus and Chron? (Hint: Think Greek Mythology).

And yes, Chron Justice was a prosecutor, which was how he afforded that beach house. Originally, he had just been a lawyer. I never specified of which variety he was. He probably faced Gregory Edgeworth in court, come to think of it…

Who knows, maybe I'll write a fic about that in the far future, hehe.


End file.
